The Chinese, the Chinese, the Chinese are coming!!

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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Since the Chinese are some of the most interesting immigrant groups to this country of ours, I am usually fond of any information I find about them. In fact, I am fond of any information I find of any immigrant group that came here legally, now if illegal, then we are at odds.

Anyhow, I found this interesting piece about the Chinese community here (more specifically in Santo Domingo). This is part of a bigger article on the Chinatowns in Latin America...

Dominican Republic

While Havana's Barrio Chino is struggling for self-preservation, a new bustling Chinatown in the Dominican Republic thrives, in that country's capital city Santo Domingo, on Avenida Duarte. While serving the local Chinese community with at least 40 immigrant-run businesses, it is also promoted as a tourist attraction. The development of Chinatown is now gaining momentum, and a new gateway arch is in development. The first Chinese, including other Spanish-speaking Chinese, came from other Caribbean islands. Other first-generation Chinese immigrants came from Hong Kong and Taiwan in 1970s. Chinese became the second-largest non-Latino community in the 1980s.


Source:
http://www.answers.com/topic/chinatowns-in-latin-america
 

Dolores1

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May 3, 2000
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www.
Have heard that big Chinese money is investing in luxury real estate in the DR, with lots invested in the attractive second home luxury developments along the East Coast.
 

NewinSantiago

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May 24, 2005
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Nal0whs said:
I am fond of any information I find of any immigrant group that came here legally, now if illegal, then we are at odds.

Illegal, legal?? What difference does it make?? As far as I know, neither the Spaniards nor the Africans had tourist visas when they settled in the Dominican Republic. Am I saying most Dominicans are direct descendants of illegal immigrants?? Yes, I am. So, what's the big deal with illegal immigrants??
 

carina

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Mar 13, 2005
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Interesting facts

In the census of 1888 for Puerto Plata there was 4 chinese living in the city!
Of a total of 4087 inhabitants.

During the period of 1890-1897 an agreement was reached to allow 400 Cubans immigrate to the island. They were needed in the sugar production.
In Puerto Plata they settled around the park that is between 12 de Julio and Calle J F Kennedy. That park is today called Parque Luperon, but had the name La Placita Cubana at that time.

In 1737 and 1738 , groups of people from Tenerife, Canary Island, was invited to settle here as well. The first group consisted of about 40 families, and the second group of 21 families (125 people ).
They had the knowledge of agriculture and came by invitation of the governor.
 

JANET/NJ

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Jun 21, 2004
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I've known for a long time that they were there.................have you ever been to Bonao?
 

rellosk

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Mar 18, 2002
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NewinSantiago said:
Illegal, legal?? What difference does it make?? As far as I know, neither the Spaniards nor the Africans had tourist visas when they settled in the Dominican Republic. Am I saying most Dominicans are direct descendants of illegal immigrants?? Yes, I am. So, what's the big deal with illegal immigrants??
I like that.
 

suarezn

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Feb 3, 2002
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NewinSantiago said:
Illegal, legal?? What difference does it make?? As far as I know, neither the Spaniards nor the Africans had tourist visas when they settled in the Dominican Republic. Am I saying most Dominicans are direct descendants of illegal immigrants?? Yes, I am. So, what's the big deal with illegal immigrants??

Hey...it's the old "Now that I've got mine I don't want anyone else to get theirs". Seriously it happens with every immigrant group (i.e. Irish were discriminated against when they first emigrated to The US, then later on the same Irish were complaining about the Italians, and so forth). Aren't we humans wonderful?
 

NALs

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Jan 20, 2003
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NewinSantiago said:
Illegal, legal?? What difference does it make?? As far as I know, neither the Spaniards nor the Africans had tourist visas when they settled in the Dominican Republic. Am I saying most Dominicans are direct descendants of illegal immigrants?? Yes, I am. So, what's the big deal with illegal immigrants??
The deal with illegals is that they are not accounted for in government initiatives and investments.

For example, many public schools are overcrowded, public hospitals as well, the job market is very tough on low skilled people, etc etc.

It's mostly a livelyhood deal, more so than the illegal person him/herself.

On the other hand, a person who went through the legal procedures not only will be much better received (because this person will most likely pay into the system), but this person shows inclination to following the rules.

One of the key factors in a thriving economy is people following rules, I know many people in this country have a problem following rules, but somebody has to be an example and what better people would be foreigners who come here, show the way of making a good living and show native Dominicans that following the rules does pay out.

Anyhow, this is more on Chinese-Dominicans, so let's not carry this further, at least not on this thread.
 

NewinSantiago

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May 24, 2005
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I live in a US community where 50% of the people are Chinese. I am glad you talk about rules here because I want to let you know that Chinese here have a reputation of NOT following the rules. They may be legal residents here in my community but most of those who own businesses practice illegal and unhuman workers exploitation. Most of them have no respect for consumer protection laws either. For example, you purchase something from them and it is defective. Then it is such a hassle to get an exchange or your money back. As employers, most of them pay very low wages, treat workers like animals and deprive them of most of their rights. They threaten to fire them if they complain. On the street, you will see them pushing other people to be the first to get on the bus. They drive worse than most Dominicans and do not obey many of the traffic rules. I can bore you with so many examples. If I were Dominican, I would be happier to have illegal Haitians coming to my country than "legal" Chinese. I think most Haitians are in the Dominican Rep. to work honestly. Dominicans should be proud to have Haitians in their country. However, it seems to me, most Dominicans are afraid of the haitians skin color. Maybe it remembers them of their own African ancestry. Anyway, a society who considers skin color to be more important than moral integrity is still a very primitive society and does not deserve my respect.


Nal0whs said:
On the other hand, a person who went through the legal procedures not only will be much better received (because this person will most likely pay into the system), but this person shows inclination to following the rules.

One of the key factors in a thriving economy is people following rules, I know many people in this country have a problem following rules, but somebody has to be an example and what better people would be foreigners who come here, show the way of making a good living and show native Dominicans that following the rules does pay out.

Anyhow, this is more on Chinese-Dominicans, so let's not carry this further, at least not on this thread.
 

frank alvarez

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Apr 13, 2004
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The DR is more worried about the Chinese on the other side of the planet!

I don't think Dominicans should be negative regarding a Chinatown; it should be welcomed and assisted to grow and to be a tourist attraction as in so many cities around the world. I have been to Chinatowns in Washington, New York, San Francisco, Vancouver, Paris, London and many other places and they are always a treat.

What is really worrisome for Dominicans, other Latin American nations and
even the U.S., although it apparently doesn't realize it yet, is that this sleeping giant, Communist China, has been awakened to the realities of the consumer societies and its possibility of producing for export. The Dominican Free Zone system is already smarting by the move of U.S. manufacturers to China looking for lower pricing and thousands of Dominican families have
lost their substenance due to the many jobs lost. In time, the U.S. will be hurt also as the Chinese grow stronger; perhaps something positive as far as balancing the planet once more so there is another force to contain American excesses.
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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NewinSantiago said:
I live in a US community where 50% of the people are Chinese. I am glad you talk about rules here because I want to let you know that Chinese here have a reputation of NOT following the rules. They may be legal residents here in my community but most of those who own businesses practice illegal and unhuman workers exploitation. Most of them have no respect for consumer protection laws either. For example, you purchase something from them and it is defective. Then it is such a hassle to get an exchange or your money back. As employers, most of them pay very low wages, treat workers like animals and deprive them of most of their rights. They threaten to fire them if they complain. On the street, you will see them pushing other people to be the first to get on the bus. They drive worse than most Dominicans and do not obey many of the traffic rules. I can bore you with so many examples. If I were Dominican, I would be happier to have illegal Haitians coming to my country than "legal" Chinese. I think most Haitians are in the Dominican Rep. to work honestly. Dominicans should be proud to have Haitians in their country. However, it seems to me, most Dominicans are afraid of the haitians skin color. Maybe it remembers them of their own African ancestry. Anyway, a society who considers skin color to be more important than moral integrity is still a very primitive society and does not deserve my respect.
This is the only problem with anything Dominican.

Foreigners in particular, are always questioning if race has anything to do with anything a Dominican does.

Even when race is not a factor, its very hard for the Dominican to prove that he/she is not using race as a factor.

An American can come here and post "I am not anti-Haitian" and then post an anti-illegal immigration and such post is taken at face value. A dominican does the samething, and people will always refer to such as a "racist" and/or the suspicion of race being a motive never dies in the mind of the foreigner in such case.

This is just the typical anti-Dominican prejudice foreigners in general have towards Dominicans.

I suppose this compares to a white American saying he/she is not racist and then making a claim about the higher crime rates among certain minorities and that white American will be considered a racist. However, a minority makes the same claim and its taken at face value.
 

nikoletaj

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Jun 12, 2005
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Chinese , danger!

I have to comment about Chinese ,


Only, if it is DR related, if not, it gets edited.
Thanks
Tim H. :smoke:
 
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Eddyx

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Sep 9, 2005
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It is not he color of the skin

Hi NewinSantiago,

the problem because the dominicans don't like so much haitians, is not for their color of the skin. We have many black dominican people and don't descriminate them. The problem with haitians are their culture. It's a shock. Most of them have a bad education and many of then have criminial instinct. Many of them are analphabet. Also they just provide us of cheap manual labour. They do the works dominican don't like. They like to cut the trees, so they have destroyed their country. What is the reason because they are the poorest country in the whole american continent?
 

arturo

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Mar 14, 2002
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oh please

Eddyx said:
Hi NewinSantiago,

the problem because the dominicans don't like so much haitians, is not for their color of the skin. We have many black dominican people and don't descriminate them. The problem with haitians are their culture. It's a shock. Most of them have a bad education and many of then have criminial instinct. Many of them are analphabet. Also they just provide us of cheap manual labour. They do the works dominican don't like. They like to cut the trees, so they have destroyed their country. What is the reason because they are the poorest country in the whole american continent?

I'm not sure if you are joking or not but black Dominicans endure significant discrimination. I will leave it to others to explain it to you if you insist on making inaccurate statements about that.

Quick question about your characterization of the type of work Haitians do: exactly what sort of work is it that Dominicans like?